1856 Flying Eagle Cent - Grade & Authenticity Ck

I could not have phrased it better Johnny.

I believe that there is actually about 50 true patterns for the small cent FE's and 500 or so made for congress. 25 snow-1's, 25 snow-2's for President Pierce & Sec of Treas. then the ones made for congress. I may be off on some of the figures by a little bit.

Nonetheless. People pay the exorbitant prices for these coins, which always goes back to the adage "something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it and they do...right or wrong. Hmmm I guess " a fool and his mon.... Oh never mind

Makes sense. An 1877 IHC in that grade is a conditional rarity, and probably much more rare than the 1856 in that specific grade. The 1856 saw much less circulation, so much of the population was preserved in higher grades. 1877 ihcs got the daylights circulated out of them.

If there's a difference with the 1856 FE, it's a pattern that became a regular issue in 1857, so 1856 gets a higher profile as the perceived first year--with corresponding demand.
There are lots of coins with a pattern made for the previous year, and like the 54 and 55 iggles, they weren't listed as part of the set.


Fur egg-sample? In most cases, first years sell for less than later ones.

The 1854 and 1855 patterns look nothing like the flying eagle series....while the 1856 is exactly the same...they even used the 1856 die to strike some of the 1857s.

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The first year in combination with hallmark low mintage compared to the rest in the series is a recipe for high demand. As you stated, the 1916 slq, then also the 1916-d merc and the 1909-svdb all have the "first year/low mintage" allure. Low mintage does not always equal rarity, especially with the svdb(I would call that one kind of common)......but it is a strong contributing factor.

sheesh....have we ever digressed from the original topic..

Considering there are 728 times as many 1917 SLQ as 1916, I would expect the 1916 to sell for more.

This still doesn't compare the 56FE to the 55FE and 54FE, which is the correct comparison, pattern to pattern

It seems to me that it's a lot harder to find a 37P 3 leg than a 37D 3 leg, but the commoner error is worth more. Why? The 37D is in the books, folders, albums, etc.

Can you find me a 1855 or 1854 flying eagle pattern that looks anything remotely like the flying eagle business strike series? All the ones I am seeing use a completely different obverse eagle style, completely different reverse, and a completely different size.

I think DVcollector's point was that they actually used the same exact style on the 1856 "pattern" for the flying eagle series....which makes it fit right into the series. This is a HUGE distinction whichever way you slice it. The other patterns cannot be compared to the series, and would not make a matching flying eagle set paired with the 1857 and 1858.